It’s a smashing success.
Ace just built this Chickens solarium/aviary for Bert and the hens. It’s connected to the coop inside the pole barn via a skyway with a gravity airlock. The coop always remains above freezing day/night. The Solarium gets too hot during the day, heating the coop for free in the process. At night the solarium cools to the ambient temperature, but the insulated coop stays warm. In summer there are numerous vents and windows and it keeps the coop cooler by keeping the hot sun off the shed wall and dissipating the heat.
The floor of the solarium is covered with 5” of dry sand so is like a huge litter box for very easy cleaning with a long handled rake/scoop. The Chickens are free to roam the yard anytime except on days when the temp does not get above 20 deg the Chickens will be confined to the draft free warm solarium where they can still fly just a bit and take sun-baths. The Chicken door is a sliding glass door.
Today it’s 30 deg but the aviary air temp is 82 in the shade, 122 in the sun. It will double as a “greenhouse” for plants in the Spring. In Minnesota it can get down to minus 40 (C and F deg).
Houses should be build like this.
UPDATE 10/2010 - Solar Aviary addition
The entire aviary-coop is mouse proof. Even on a overcast day the temp is 10-15 degrees warmer, with sun 60-90 degrees inside. When the sun comes up a thermostat/fan blows hot air from the aviary into the insulated coop so the coop stays warm the next night without any additional head source. It remains above freezing for almost no expense ($5 per year for elec heat at temps lower than 20 below, otherwise free)
With twice the floor space the Chickens are very content to stay in the aviary when the weather it too nasty for them outside. The sand floor is very quick and easy to clean and keeps it very sanitary for the Chickens, and it also acts a bit like a heat sync to store heat for evening.
The sand floor has roofing "Ice-Shield" for a waterproof basin for the sand. The Chickens love to take dirt-baths and lounge around in the sun.
For INFO and specs on the insulated coop inside the pole barn, see :
http://bertthemensachicken.multiply.com/journal/item/190/What_happens_in_the_Coop_stays_in_the_CoopView the Chickens in the back yard anytime via Live Chicken Cam... you control the camera
http://bertthemensachicken.multiply.com/journal/item/217/CONTROL_Berts_CHICKEN_CAM_search_for_Chickens.
Love it Bert! What a lucky rooster you are. :) The original Eco~Rooster!
ReplyDeleteYour pets are so spoiled and you are so ingenious coming up with these habitats for them!
ReplyDelete